Breakdown of Ich bereue, dass ich ihn überboten habe.
ich
I
haben
to have
ihn
him
dass
that
überbieten
to outbid
bereuen
to regret
Questions & Answers about Ich bereue, dass ich ihn überboten habe.
Why is the past participle überboten and not übergeboten?
The prefix über- can be separable or inseparable depending on the verb. In überbieten (to outbid), it is inseparable. Verbs with inseparable prefixes do not take the -ge- in the past participle, so it becomes just überboten.
How could I rewrite this sentence to express an unfulfilled wish, like "If only I hadn't outbid him!"?
This is exactly where you use the Konjunktiv II with a particle like nur or doch from this lesson! You could drop the "I regret" entirely and say Hätte ich ihn doch nicht überboten! or Wenn ich ihn nur nicht überboten hätte!
Could I use a zu infinitive phrase here instead of a dass clause?
Yes! Because the subject is the same in both parts of the sentence (ich), you can shorten it using an infinitive clause: Ich bereue, ihn überboten zu haben. This sounds slightly more advanced but means the exact same thing.
Does the verb bereuen always require a dependent clause?
No, it can also take a normal noun as a direct object in the accusative case. For example, you can simply say Ich bereue meine Entscheidung (I regret my decision) or Ich bereue es (I regret it).
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